(Image via umassd.edu)

Volunteer Writer: Jahnyla Blakely-Wright

Email: jblakelywright@umassd.edu

Having the option of endless amounts of burgers, fries, chicken, and other greasy foods should be any College kid’s dream. Right? 

The dining services provided by UMass Dartmouth are a long ongoing conversation. Many people believe that the school does not provide adequate food options. The number of healthy food options is one that many students have an issue with, saying that there are close to none. 

Many students at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth are upset about the food offered on campus. Naomi Perrior, a junior living in Hickory, expressed:

“It shouldn’t be this hard to find healthy food options on campus, especially with the upperclassmen meal plan. When I had the lower-classmen meal plan, I had unlimited swipes to go to the grove, which at least had some healthy options, but now I feel like there are none.”

With the upperclassmen meal plan, students are given less than forty swipes to the Grove and over $1000 in Corsair Cash. With Corsair Cash, students can access various dining services on campus, such as Wendy’s, Dunkin, Arnie’s Sub, Birch Grille, and Starbucks. 

While these places have some healthy food, the options are very limited. 

The store Top It, located in the campus center, does sell various fruits. However, because of a lack of locations on campus that sell fruit, these items sell fast, and when they are gone, students are left without fruit until the next shipment. 

Shinda Thomas, a dining hall representative, clarified:

“I do understand students’ frustration when it comes to the accessibility of fruits and vegetables. Although this is a great example of why it is important to fill out the end-of-year survey about necessary changes made to dining.”

At the end of the year, dining provides a survey allowing students to voice their opinions on the on-campus dining services. While this is a chance for students to make real changes about the food provided, many students do not fill this form out. 

Dining services are open to making these changes for students, but students need to do their part in voicing their desire for healthy food options. 

Kerin Calwell added to the conversation:

“Recently, I have been trying to be healthier and go to the gym often. It’s really hard to do that when we have such limited options, the only place on campus where you can get vegetables is the Birch market and even there they only have like two to three different options of different vegetables.”

While the healthy food options on campus are slim, the university does offer shuttle services. The service provides students transportation to the grocery stores, another option underused by many students here at UMass Dartmouth. 

The conversation about healthy foods on campus is ongoing; although students have the necessary resources to make a change, they just need to be willing to put in the effort.